Friday, January 24, 2014

Wayne County

This week we return to our long anticipated county by county journey
through Pennsylvania for a visit to the Northeastern region of the state in
Wayne County. Situated along the
Delaware River on the border with New Jersey and New York, Wayne County has
experienced rapid growth and development from spill over from nearby cities.

This region is in the Glaciated Low Plateaus
Section of the Appalachian Plateaus Physiographic Province. The landscape is characterized
by moderately broad valleys separated by rounded hills. The average winter temperature of 25 degrees
is offset by summer temperatures averaging in the mid-sixties. A check on the temperature for today shows a
current temperature of 0 degrees with snow showers. Average snow fall is
57inches, but with the storms this winter they are likely well above
average.

A quick look at the
Pennsylvania Site Survey Files (PASS) reveals a relatively high number of sites
for this fairly small county with nearly 300 sites recorded across all time
periods. Nearly two-thirds of the
recorded sites fall within the riverine setting which includes floodplains and
terraces an indicator of the important role that the Delaware River played in
settlement, but other factors likely attributed as well. What drew native peoples to this region and
led to European settlement here during the 18th and 19th
century?

The
highest percentage of prehistoric sites recorded to date fall in the Late
Archaic (4,300-6,000 years ago) and Transitional period (2,700-4,300 years
ago). Archaeologists have observed changes in the environment during this
period which ultimately led to changes in vegetation and settlement. The warmer
climate of this period allowed for an increase in sustainable resources which
resulted in population growth. To access these resources of nuts, berries and
wildlife, native groups were drawn to specialized processing and procurement
camps. Chestnut, oak, butternut, walnut and beech on the ridge tops along with maple,
oak, hemlock and white pine in the lower valleys with an understory of
blueberries and huckleberries provided valuable food supplies. Witch
hazel, viburnum, and hazelnut found in the understory of the wetter environs,
reflect the greater availability of moisture. The increase in available food sources and
the rise in population also led to a greater demand for aquatic resources. The glacial retreat which occurred in Wayne
County led to an increase in water sources ranging from ponds and lakes to
swamps, bogs and wetlands. This generous
supply of water and the ability to travel the Delaware River Valley provided
ample resources for these early settlers.

bifaces and projectile points from the Schrabisch collection

Munsee pottery from the Schrabisch collection

Evidence
of these early settlers was recorded as early as 1930 with the publication of Archaeology of the Delaware River Valley
between Hancock and Dingman’s Ferry in Wayne and Pike Counties, by Max
Schrabisch. This comprehensive survey of a 15 mile stretch examined four rock
shelters, three villages or long term camps and numerous short term multi use
sites. Schrabisch recorded his observations of the sites in detail and provided
basic profiles of the rock shelters. His summaries for each site include an
interpretation of his findings. An example of this is his description of a
shelter identified as “Indian Rock” shelter; “The tale to be read from the
culture refuse extant under this rock seems to be as follows: The firepit with
its contents of bones betokens cooking and the partaking of a meal; the chips,
there being so many of them, the fashioning of an arrow point or two, and the
pottery pieces along with the perforated shells the quondam presence of
squaws.” While this interpretation certainly makes some broad assumptions, it
does provide an overview of the types of activities which occurred in these
rock shelters. Considering the time, 1930, Schrabisch was advanced in his
practice of recording sites in such detail.

net sinkers from the Schrabisch collection

groundstone adze from the Schrabish collection

We would
be remiss in not mentioning the research conducted by Vernon Leslie. His
massive collection of over 4500 artifacts resides at the Wayne County
Historical Society and is a testament to his years of inquiry and investigation
of archaeological sites throughout the Delaware River Valley. His publication Faces in Clay provides an overview of
many of the artifacts in his personal collection as well as several other
privately held collections.

Curtis Pond dugout canoe receiving conservation treatment

As
mentioned earlier the glacial retreat left pools of water which required a
means for early settlers to navigate these waters. The discovery of the Curtis
Pond dugout canoe in 1996 provided an opportunity for archaeologists to examine
the environment in which it was found, its method of construction and lastly it
offered another example for comparison of with other recovered vessels. Six dugout canoes have been recorded in Wayne
County, all very similar in construction with distinctive angular marks
produced by metal tools, an indication that these watercraft were made after
European Contact. The Pocono Highlands contain glacial ponds filled with
tannin-rich waters which contribute to the preservation of organic material
including these wooden vessels. Research
has not provided strong evidence of the ethnic groups responsible for their
construction, but it is likely that both native groups and early colonists
would have employed this method of transportation.

European
settlers emigrated from Connecticut, the Hudson Valley and Northern Europe into
Wayne County and began utilizing the resources of coal, lumber and water in
developing and settling the region. The footpaths that native peoples used
turned into a Turnpike for transporting coal; this is generally the same route
as SR 191 today. The Delaware & Hudson Canal Company constructed a 108 mile
long system from the Lackawaxen River to the Delaware River that provided
anthracite coal to markets in Philadelphia and New York. The canals gave way to
the railroad and this led to an increase in the anthracite industry throughout
the region. The second major industry was leather tanning. Three tanneries
began operation after 1830 and grew well into the 19th century. The leathers were imported from as far away
as South America, processed by local tanners and then exported to markets in
New York and Philadelphia. These
industries and the natural resources of Wayne County have attributed greatly to
its settlement.

We hope
you have enjoyed this glimpse into the archaeological heritage of Wayne County
and that you will look at our past blogs for the archaeology of your county. We
have only three counties left to explore in Pennsylvania and are gearing up for
the next “series” of blogs. If you have a particular blog you would like us to
cover, please post your comment and we will see what we can do. We appreciate our faithful followers and hope
to continue providing useful information for our readers on the archaeology of
Pennsylvania.

References:

Baker, Joe

The Curtis Pond Canoe: The Identification, Recovery, and
Context of a Dugout Vessel from the Pocono Highlands, March 1998. Unpublished
manuscript of the Section of Archaeology, The State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Leslie, Vernon

Faces in Clay, The Archaeology and Early History of the Red
Man in The Upper Delaware Valley, T. Emmett Henderson, Publisher, Middletown,
N.Y. 1973.

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One Tank Trip

WFMZ-TV 69 from Reading, Pennsylvania visited The State Museum of Pennsylvania on February 8th, 2017. Karin Mallett prepared a feature piece on great places to visit that are one tank of gas from Reading and our gallery was the focus of this visit. Karin interviewed Kurt Carr, Senior Curator and Janet Johnson in the gallery and provide a nice overview of the spectacular exhibits. Please click on the link below and enjoy this glimpse of the museum during this One Tank Trip!
One Tank Trip: Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology

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